Social Media Has Fed the Fever

If you’ve walked into a bookstore as of late, you’ve been assaulted with a mass of young adult literature. Whether the proof is long lines for a "Mockingjay" midnight book release or huge displays of memorabilia, young adult literature is undeniably popular.

Many ridicule the teen-oriented industry. Others acknowledge its existence only because of its growing financial success. Despite general curiosity, few people pay attention to what has created such a fierce following for the books among young people: the Internet.

Teenagers do not passively love young adult fiction and its authors. Thanks to the Internet, we can share our passion.

Reading used to be the isolated experience of picking up a book, scanning words on the page and thinking a lot of brilliant thoughts about the story without ever voicing them. Now, through the wonders of social media, you can discuss the downfalls of Edward and Bella’s relationship or the brilliant plot arc of "Harry Potter" — regardless of where you live.

This online world holds special value to teenagers, because they understand it in a way readers who don't like young adult fiction can’t. The author John Green and his brother, Hank, are well known for their fantastic relationship with fans through their YouTube channel. Their discourse is so effective because the Green brothers are confident of their audience’s intelligence. This kind of trust in the competence of youth is not commonplace in offline adult-teen dynamics. Adolescents know the importance of this dialogue, and authors writing for young adults know we’re capable of it.

Teenagers do not passively love young adult fiction and its authors. The ferocity of our devotion rivals the heartbreak caused by the very same novels. Thanks to the Internet, we can share our thoughts with the people who wrote them. My mother couldn’t have dreamed of talking to Judy Blume when she was my age; my favorite author, Libba Bray, follows and talks to me regularly on Twitter. Writers are not just quiet gatekeepers of the human psyche anymore: now, they get to be this generation’s rock stars.

We live in an age when popular novels can be dedicated to the teenagers who love them. We can argue about characterization on Twitter, receive requests to critique whole novels on Facebook, or write a book blog that receives a wide monthly following. If that doesn’t show the power of young adult literature, I don’t know what does.